The Tales of the Hero's Shade
by FelineFriendly
Summary: The Hero's Shade aka the White Wolf tells Link some stories of the past, accounts of the previous heroes who defeated Ganondorf and others.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, everybody! I'm back! Don't worry, I'll complete Take a Moment to Bond, but first I wanted to do this. This takes place just after Twilight Princess. It's my telling of Link's past and the plots from Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Majora's Mask through the Hero's Shade's eyes. In case you're confused, the Hero's Shade is what he's called in my strategy guide for GameCube. He takes the form of the White Wolf, who Wolf Link howls to, and then he teaches normal Link sword techniques. It popped into my head after beating the Lakebed temple and Midna's Desperate Hour, and it's NOT a one-shot. **

Wolf Link sat on a ledge overlooking Hyrule Field, the same one that he howled on during his adventures. Squatted next to him was the White Wolf. For a few minutes, the two wolves sat and stared at the moon, taking in the peace that had just recently returned. Finally, Link decided to speak.

"Hey, are you dead?" he asked. The White Wolf looked at him. "I… I mean in your true form, your Hero's Shade form."

The White Wolf, or Shade, as Link called him, looked back at the moon.

"In life," he said, "I was a brave warrior, known in this land by all." Link immediately took that as a "yes".

Shade continued. "I was known as the Hero of Time."

"The Hero of Time, eh?"

Shade nodded. "I saved this land from the threat that you did as well."

"Ganondorf?"

"The very same." Despite talking to the wolf beside him, Shade's gaze was glued to the moon in deep thought. "I was able to travel through time using the blade that you now possess. It was once stored in the Temple of Time. When I pulled it out, I became an adult, the same age as you. By returning it to the Pedestal of Time, I reversed time by seven years, and I was a kid.

"When my battles were over, I put it back and sealed the door. It was to remain there forever, out of harm's way, never to be let out until the time was right. After I left this land, my legend remained, but Ganondorf turned Hyrule into a body of water called the Great Sea.

"Hundreds of years passed. Then one day, a boy who was all his life told of my great deeds put on the very clothes that you wear and embarked on a journey to save his sister.

"His adventures took him below the surface, into Hyrule, where he removed the blade. He tried to use it to slay Ganondorf, but he had failed."

"Why?" Link asked, intrigued.

"Ganondorf could not be defeated by the Blade of Evil's Bane because it had lost all its power. So two young Sages prayed to the Gods in front of the boy, and the Master Sword's power returned. The boy sealed Ganondorf away in stone. By doing this, Hyrule returned to how you see it today. That boy…

"He was your father."

Link's eyes widened. "My… father?"

"You never knew your family, correct?" Shade asked. Link nodded. "Your fate was similar to mine. Your father left long before you were born, and he was killed on his journeys. Over time, your mother, who was a good friend of the people of Ordon, became very sick while she was pregnant with you. Just before you were born, she asked Fado's father to take good care of you. When she gave birth to you, she passed away. Fado's father took you in, and you grew up as an Ordonian, even though you were actually a Hylian."

"How come I never knew about this?" Link asked, his tail lying still on the ground.

"You were too young to remember."

Link shook his head. "Of course I was, if I was orphaned at birth. I mean, why didn't anybody tell me about this?"

"Fado's father didn't want you to know. He said that you would grow up true if you didn't try to follow in your father's footsteps. He was wrong. You did anyway, blind to the truth."

Link and Shade howled at the moon together.

"Now, how about some practice to get our minds off of this?" Link suggested. Shade nodded. Both tails now thumped really hard on the ground, showing their excitement for a little sword training.

Eager for some exercise, they hopped off the platform and into the night.


	2. Forest Friend

Hello again! I'm typing this at school, in computer class. Guess what? My teacher is a fan of Zelda! Isn't that cool? He's really nice! Anyway, he let me do this (so long as I use a keyboard cover), so I'm going to need to whip this up. Here goes!

Link, now in human form, stood on a balcony in the castle, staring down at the busy streets of Castle Town. It was a comforting view, with the light of sunset spilling peace over the city. For the first time in a long while, he felt at ease.

Shade suddenly appeared next to him.

"Tired of waiting for the moon to rise?" Link asked laughably.

Shade shrugged and joined him. "What a beautiful sight, isn't it?" he said. "It has been a long time since anybody in Hyrule could live without worry that they're in danger."

Link nodded. "I understand exactly what you mean, Shade, but for some reason, I miss the war. I mean no offense to anyone, but…"

"I know," Shade said. "An old friend is gone from this world, but more than present in the Twilight Realm."

"Midna…" Link muttered, staring sadly at the railing. "At the beginning, she wanted only to retrieve the Fused Shadows and save the Twilight Realm, without worry over the world of light. When she was hurt, she changed her mind. Zelda had healed her, but had disappeared. Midna regretted not stopping her, as she thought that the world of light was worth more than the Twilight Realm. She had changed completely, and was determined to assist me whenever possible."

"I once had a friend…" Shade said. "A childhood friend, who played a big part in my role as the Hero of Time. Her name was Saria, and she was a Kokiri, just like I thought I was. When I left the forest, she gave me her treasured ocarina, called the Fairy Ocarina, and I kept it until I got the Master Sword.

"When we were kids, the Kokiri boss, Mido, used to tease me, and everybody else except for Saria. He wanted to get her attention by making us others do the work while he claimed to do it all. She wouldn't fall for it, and while I backed up the others, she stood up for me.

"When I awoke as the Hero of Time, Saria was kidnapped and put in the Forest Temple. I saved her, and she found her destiny as the Sage of Forest. She helped me to defeat Ganondorf."

Shade turned into the White Wolf and howled to the moon a strange, somewhat festive song. Images appeared in Link's mind.

"_You're… leaving the forest, aren't you, Link?"_

"_When you want to hear my voice, play this song. You can talk with me anytime…"_

"_Saria will always be your friend…"_

Link looked up at Shade, who was in his skeletal form. "Was that…?"

"Yes," Shade nodded. "That was Saria. I had to leave her long ago when I went to the castle to see the princess. She was my oldest friend…"

"What happened to her?" Link asked.

Shade stared at the moon for a long time before giving his solemn answer.

"Long after I left Hyrule, she was poisoned by an evil plant. She was ill for three weeks, and then she died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Link said.

"It's not your fault, young one," Shade immediately disagreed. "She would have been very, very long dead by now anyway."

Link nodded. He suddenly noticed the tears that his skeletal instructor began to shed.

"Would you… like some time alone?" he asked, getting up.

"Yes. That would be nice."

Once Link was gone, Shade turned into the White Wolf and howled to the moon Saria's Song.


End file.
